Michael Jackson's Dangerous Liaisons

Arch Sex Behav DOI 10.1007/s10508-011-9842-1 BOOK REVIEW Michael Jackson’s Dangerous Liaisons By Carl Toms. Padstow, Cornwall, TJ International, 2010, 623 pp., £20 J. Michael Bailey Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 This is an unusual book, especially for review in an academic aconsiderablestakeinpeoplebelievingthathisinterestinchil- journal. Its subject is pop icon Michael Jackson, one of the most dren was innocent. What’s the evidence he was lying? famous, talented, and financially successful entertainers of all The most persuasive evidenceforJackson’spedophilia— time—and also one of the strangest. Specifically, the book O’Carroll would not put it ‘‘evidence against Jackson’’—is the focuses on Jackson’s interest in children, and whether that 1993 accusation concerning Jordie Chandler. (Details of the interestwassexualinnature.Theauthor,TomO’Carroll(under accusationareavailablenotonlyinDangerousLiaisons,butalso the pseudonym ‘‘Carl Toms’’), is himself an unapologetic in leaked legal documents and a book written by Jordie’s uncle, pedophile, and his pedophilia has influenced both his insight among other sources.) Jackson befriended 13-year-old Jordie into Jackson and his aspirations for the book. Thus, there are at and his family during 1992 andthetwobecameinseparable. leasttworeasonswhyasexresearchermightapproachthebook Jordie’sbiologicalmotherandfatherwereseparatedandJackson skeptically. First, its topic might seem more appropriate for especially ingratiated himself with the mother. Soon after Jor- a lurid tabloid than for a book of more than 600 pages with die’s father, Evan Chandler, met Michael, Evan became both detailed references, including academic journals. Second, O’Car- resentful and suspicious of the relationship between Jordie and roll’s pedophilia raises the question of whether his opinions Michael. He was resentful because Jordie had little interest in reflect insight or self-serving pedophilic bias. To those with this anyone other than Michael and suspicious because Jordie and initial appraisal, I advise: set aside your skepticism and you may Michael often slept in the same bed and were obviously smitten. be rewarded. Thwarted by his ex-wife in his attempt to end the relationship, Evan’s resentment and concern festered until he eventually pressured a confession from Jordie, who admitted that he and Was Jackson a Pedophile? Jacksonhadengagedinkissing,masturbation,andoralsex.Jack- son had been the (nonviolent) sexual aggressor, countering Jor- O’Carroll argues persuasively that Michael Jackson was almost die’s initial protests with tears ofrejectionfollowedbyreassur- certainly pedophilic. Specifically, Jackson appears to have been ancethattherewasnothingwrongwiththeirbehavior.Following most attracted to pubescent boys—boys on the verge of puberty. these revelations, Jordie’s family united in legal action against (The precise term for this sexual orientation is homosexual Jackson. Jordie’s cooperation was reluctant. hebephilia,althoughpedophiliaisthemorecommonifslightly Facing criminal charges, Jackson settled a civil suit with the inaccurate term, and the one I use herein for the sake of con- family for at least $21 million. Due to Jordie’s refusal to coop- vention.) Jackson denied sexual interest in boys and more erate with a criminal investigation, the criminal charges were famously denied engaging in sexual activity with them despite dropped. Jackson’s defenders have insisted that the settlement specific accusationsthat he had done so. Obviously, Jackson had was extorted by the Chandler’s false accusations, but this seems unlikely.EvensomeoneasrichasJacksonwouldnotmerelygive away $21 million, and the guilty-looking settlement probably J. M. Bailey (&) cost him much more than that in earnings potential. A desperate Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA attempt by fixer Anthony Pellicano to make Evan Chandler e-mail: [email protected] sound like an extortionist was unconvincing.‘‘No one who has 123 Arch Sex Behav read the entire transcript…would conclude from it that Evan’s singular category, oddball superstar. He illuminates Jackson as a motive was extortion’’(p. 282). There is no good reason to doubt pedophile and he also uses Jackson’s life to examine certain the Chandler’s story, despite unsupported rumors that Jordie beliefs about pedophilia. recently claimed he lied about the sexual contact. The mostcontroversialissue O’Carrolltakesonis the issue of O’Carroll comes to a somewhat different conclusion about the harm. He discusses Sandfort’s (1987)studyofasmallconve- accusations behind Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial. That trial con- nience sample of boys involved in pedophilic relationships. cerned a complaint by Gavin Arvizo, who was also 13 when the Sandfort interviewed the boys privately (that is, without the alleged sexual contact between Jackson and Arvizo occurred. In presence of their pedophile lovers) and found that they viewed this case, Jackson was tried and acquitted. Arvizo’s mother had their experiences positively. O’Carroll laments that no one has severe credibility problems, having induced her children to lie for followed the boys into adulthood to determine how they felt monetary gain prior to the Jackson allegations.O’Carrollis uncer- abouttherelationshipsthenandwhethertheyretrospectivelyfelt tain whether Jackson and Arvizo were sexually intimate, but harmed by them. believes acquittal was the correct decision becauseofreasonable O’Carroll also discusses what he considers to be an over- doubt. whelming societal bias against even considering a lack of harm These two major accusations are not the only relevant evi- from pedophilic relationships. Indeed, the best scientific evidence dence regarding Jackson’s sexuality. There were rumors about suggests that the most typical experiences considered childhood other boys, such as Jason Francia (rumored to have won a $2 sexual abuse may not be as harmful as most people think. Spe- million settlement) and Brett Barnes (who denied sex with cifically, sexual activity that children engage in voluntarily (albeit Jackson). There was his admitted fondness for sleeping in the illegally) with adults is nearly uncorrelated with undesirable out- same bed as children, more specifically boys. There was the lack comes, and it remains unclear whether the small association is of any apparent sexual interest in attractive women who were causal (Rind, Tromovitch, & Bauserman, 1998,2000). Of course, interested in him. An especially poignant story concerns Brooke ifsexualabuseisaccompaniedbyforce,threats,kidnappingortor- Shields, who asked to accompany Jackson to the 1984 Grammy ture, the harmfulness vastly increases. Those offenses are harmful awards.Jacksonreluctantlyagreed,butalsobrought12-year-old in a nonsexual context as well. Emmanuel Lewis, to Shields’ great embarrassment. O’Carroll Common reactions to pedophiles do not reflect these data. searches without success for any evidence that Jackson was O’Carroll argues thatevenin the mostinnocuous cases—whena attracted to women or to adult men. Even his marriage to Lisa child is not plausibly coerced and enjoys the relationship— Marie Presley lacked evidence of mutual passion. Presley pur- societal outrage triggers the power of the State to coerce children sued Jackson, who benefited from the appearance of an appar- to cooperate in the criminal pursuit of pedophiles. O’Carroll ently normal relationship. Furious that Jackson planned to go on believes the possibility of harmless, even beneficial, sexual vacation with boys, she divorced him. relationships between adults and children are an empirical issue, None of these stories are new and most of them have been and that the rage of those who claim otherwise reflects an emo- disputed by Jackson’s family, handlers, and fans. O’Carroll’s tionalresponse,notascientificallysupportableresponse.Healso contribution issiftingthrough themassiveavailableinformation argues that opposition tochild–adultsexualrelationships can be withareasonableandskepticaleye.Thatisnosimpletask,dueto so hysterical that these reactions themselves are harmful, espe- the sheer volume of material and to the need to separate infor- cially to children. The recovered memories movement of the mation from misinformation. On the one hand, it is important to 1990sshowedthepowerofiatrogenicharmlinkedtofalsebeliefs understand that an active Jackson publicity machine worked about harmful events. (In this case, the false belief was that the nonstoptoprojectasexuallynormalimagetoensurecommercial sexual abuse ever occurred.) It is plausible that teaching children success. On the otherhand, someone as rich, quirky, and ruthless to believe they have been harmed by even mild sexual contact inhisprofessionallifeasJacksonwasboundtobesubjecttofalse with adults harms children more than the contact itself. More accusations now and then. O’Carroll examines the most impor- research needs to be done in this area. tant accusations sensibly and fairly, coming to different con- WereJackson’srelationshipswithboysharmful?Theydonot clusions in different cases. One gets the impression that many of appear to have been coercive in a physical sense, although Jack- Jackson’s crushes did not result in overtly sexual relationships. sonwasmanipulative(e.g.,cryingafterrejection).Healsoappar- But I believe no reasonable person could come away from the entlyledJordieChandlertobelievethatJordiecouldgetintolegal book with severe doubts about Jackson’s pedophilia. trouble if

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